Aeroplane.



L. BE CHEREAU.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I, 1916.

1 ,228,390 Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- W kg %W//7m L. BEcHEREAu.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-1.19M.

1 ,228,390. Patented June 5, 191-7.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. BECHEREAU.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1916.

l 228,39Oa Patented June 5, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNllTED STATE FATENT @FFTCEJ LOUIS BECHEREAU, OF PAR-IS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE SOCIETY SPAD SOCIETE ANONYME POUR LAVIATION ET SES DERIVES, F PARIS, FRANCE.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 19317.

Application filed February 1, 1916. Serial No. 75,528.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs BnorrERnAU,

' engineer, citizen of the French Republic,

and resident of 47 Rue Desrenaudes, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aeroplanes and other air craft, and its primary object is to provide, in air craft apparatus of the type employing tractor propellers, an arrangement whereby the tractor propeller will not hinder or prevent the observer from shooting conveniently and observing the ground over which the apparatus is flying. The present invention also obviates the disadvantage inherent in air craft apparatus having the propellers at the rear, which arrangement renders it impossible to construct the fuselage of a shape necessary to reduce to a minimum the resistance to forward movement, it being necessary in such apparatus to use means which offers considerable wind resistance for the purpose of supporting the rear elevating or control planes.

According to this invention the seat for the observer is-mounted so as to overhang in front of the propeller. The invention also consists in certain other arrangements which will be more particularly described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing, given by way of example,

Figures 1 and 2 show respectively in elevation and in partial front view, an aero plane of the biplane type according to the invention.

Figs. 3-6 show on an enlarged scale details of attachment of the car to the propeller shaft.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing an arrangement whereby a fire-armor piece of ordnance may be located in the observers car and manipulated or controlled by the driver or aviator in the fuselage.

An aeroplane is built in the usual manner, but takin care that its center of gravity should be su ciently shifted back in order that the apparatus should be balanced by the addition at its front of a weight corresponding to that of the car, of the instruments contained therein and of the observer who is to sit in it, and also that its planes should be placed well forward; the said planes being provided for the purpose, at their front edge, with a recess calculated to afford passage to the blades of the tractor propeller c.

A suitable car d is then built for receiving the observer, and eventually, if the observer is also to act as a gunner, this car is supplied with a machine gun or the like. To secure the said car 03, which has preferably the shape of a penetration cone, the car (Z is provided, as shown in the drawing, with a pair of arms 6 which are arranged so as to enable them to be pivoted with their lower end to the landing frame, and moreover preferably made so that, as soon as the car all is mounted, the said arms 6 are in the same plane as the uprights of the landing frame, for the purpose of reducing the re-.

sistance to advance to a minimum.

The car cl is, moreover, provided with a suitable attachment for connecting it to the end of the shaft f of the propeller c; which attachment is preferably as follows:

As shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 3, at the end of the propeller shaft 7 is mounted a ball stop comprising a ring 9 of U-shaped cross-section, arranged so that it can rotate loosely between two ball bearings g g makingimpossible any longitudinal shifting of the said ring either in one or the other direction. The said ring and the said bearings are preferably mounted on a tube 9 which is secured, for instance by screwing, to the end of the propeller shaft f.

The car (Z is provided with a certain number of connections h for instance twoso that the said connections, when the said car is put in place, can engage with the U-shaped groove of the ring 9. These connections 71, are constitutedas shown for instance in Fig. 4 in side elevation, in Fig. 5 in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 4, and in Fig. (3 in horizontal half section-by sleeves l1. each of which is secured to the rear wall of the car, and by a tubular part 72, sliding in the said sleeve, and to one of the ends of which is secured a part h of a suitable shape for constituting the connection proper. The said part h is preferably made so that it engages with a certain amount of play with the said groove of the ring g in order to enable the locking to take place without it being necessary to carry out a very minute adjustment, and also to enable the connections to move freely in the interior of the groove of the ring 9 in the event of the latter becoming jammed in the ball bearings, as

such jamming would result in causing the said ring to participate in the movement of rotation of'the propeller shaft.

In order to keep the-parts k in their looking position, are used any suitable means,

of its containing fire-arms such as machine.

gunsa control from a distance, for instance by means of a cardan and wires, that would enable the, driver of the aeroplane to make use of the said arms in .the event of the seat of the observer who acts as gunner, being unoccupied.

Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 7, wherein i represents a machine gun or other piece of ordnance adapted to be mounted 1n the observers car, this gun being mounted on a vertical shaft '3' whereby it may swing in azimuth, and it has a swivel connection with the top of this vertical shaft whereby it may swing in altitude. A duplicate piece on simulating the gun i'is contained in the fuselage, it being capable ,of the same movements as the gun i, for which purpose it is mounted on a vertical shaft 70 whereby it may swing in azimuth, and fit has a swivel connection with the top of this shaft '70 whereby it may swing in altitude. Movements of the gun'i in azimuth are accomplished by corresponding movements of the piece on, these movementsbeing communicated from the piece m to the gun i through wires which connect the arms jand is re spectively on the shafts j and 70. Movements of the gun i in altitude are effected by corresponding movements of the piece m through the medium of the Bowden wire Z which connects the two pieces in rear of their horizontal pivots. depressor lower the elevation of the gun i, and a similarly acting spring Z acts to depress or lower the elevation of the piece m. A Bowden wire 0 also connects the triggers 'n and p of the two pieces.-. With this arrangement, manipulation of the piece m, lo-

catedin the fuselage, produces corresponding manipulation of the gun 2' located in the observers car.

Obviously, the invention is. not limited to that method of carrying it out which has been described, but comprises on the con- A spring 1 acts to trary any modification within the scope of the claims.

'What I claim as my invention and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is c 1. An aeroplane or other air craft apparatus comprising a fuselage, a tractor propeller mounted in front of the fuselage, and an observers car having means for removably mounting it in an overhanging position in front of the propeller.

2.'In an aeroplane, the combination with a unit comprising a landing frame, a fuselage, and a tractor propeller mounted in front thereof, of another unit comprising an observers car constructed separately from the unit (first mentioned and mounted in front of the propeller and having arms securing it to the landing frame of the firstmentioned unit.

3. In an aeroplane having a landing frame, a fuselage, and a tractor propeller mounted in front thereof, an observers car mounted in front of the propeller'and having means connecting it to the forward end of the propeller shaft and also having means connecting it to the landing frame.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination of a! landing frame, a fuselage, and a tractor propeller mounted in front of the fuselage, of

an observers car having a pair of arms pivoted at their lower ends to the landing frame. 1 and arranged in the same plane with the up- 5 rights of the landing frame.

5. The combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage, and a tractor propeller mounted in front thereof, of an observers car mounted in front of the fuselage and having means for connecting it to the forward end of the propeller shaft.

6. In an aeroplane having a fuselage anda tractor propeller mounted in front there- 'of, an observers car mounted in advance of the propeller, and means for connecting said car to the propeller shaft embodying a thrust bearing on the propeller shaft, a channel-shaped ring coiiperative with the thrust bearing, and means on the car cooperative with said ring.

7. In an areoplane having afuselage and i a. tractor propeller mounted in front thereof, of an observers car mounted in front of thepropeller, and means for connecting said car to the forward endv of the propeller shaft embodying an anti-friction bearing on the forward end of the propeller shaft, a channel-shaped ring cooperative with saidhearng, and devices carried by the car and adapted to be engaged in the channel of said A ring when the car is placedin position.

8. In an aeroplane, the combination of a fuselage, a' tractor propeller mounted, in

front thereof, anobservers car mounted to move to and from an operative position in front of the propeller, and meansfor connecting the car to the propeller shaft emtrolling the piece of ordnance located in the observers car.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 15 two subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS BEGHEREAU.

Witnesses: CHAS. P. PREssLY, PAUL BLUM. 

